Keyshawn Davis (13-0, 9 KO’s) notched a significant achievement on his record after knocking out Ukrainian WBO lightweight (135 lbs) champion Denys Berinchyk (19-1, 9 KO’s) with a crippling body shot in the fourth round. The two fought at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York this past Friday on February 14 and where the main act in a show promoted by Top Rank.

Fight Recap: Denys Berinchyk Vs. Keyshawn Davis

The fight between both fighters was somewhat of a clash between styles, with Keyshawn Davis more attuned to being technical and having shown glimpses of being a boxer-puncher in his last couple of fights, while Denys Berinchyk is known for being a pressure fighter.

When Berinchyk sought to predictably close the distance but it was Davis’ counters and timing that proved to pay dividends for the American fighter. While the first round did not see non-stop action, it depict Davis likely winning the round as his strategy appeared to pay off.

In the second round, more of the same occurred with Davis’ boxing appearing to frustrate Berinchyk who was unable to land any meaningful punches. Notably, it was starting this round where Davis began utilizing more body punches and counters, made easier through Berinchyk’s come-forward style which did employ a high guard but failed to properly protect the body.

The third round saw Davis’ tactics come to full fruition as his work rate increased which resulted in more landed punches through his counters; especially those to the body. This eventually culminated in Keyshawn Davis managing to knock down Denys Berinchyk in the closing seconds of the round with a left hand to the body.

With Davis clearly ahead in the fourth round, the American fighter kept his poise as he began capitalizing on the knockdown Berinchyk suffered and began pressuring his opponent, forcing the Ukrainian in the unfamiliar position of fighting on the backfoot. Struggling heavily, Berinchyk did not appear to be handle the pressure he is able to deliver himself and by the half portion of the fight, Davis landed another left hook to the body following a brief exchange that dropped Berinchyk again.

The shot proved too crippling for Berinchyk this time and he failed to beat the referee’s count of ten as he was on his knees, culminating in the fight being stopped and Davis being ruled the winner by knockout (KO).

The win resulted in Keyshawn Davis winning Berinchyk’s WBO title to become a world champion at lightweight for the first time of his career; a significant achievement given the trend of fighters being promoted to world champion.

Overall, it was a stupendous performance by the American, displaying his fast growth into an elite combatant and now a world champion. Already, Davis has begun calling out WBA 135-pound champion Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KO’s) who is set to fight next month, potentially setting up a relevant unification clash between two American fighters whom appear to be at the top of their game.

Undercard Results:

• Puerto Rican super welterweight (154 lbs) talent Xander Zayas (21-0, 13 KO’s) seems on course to be able to soon challenge for a world title himself after he defeated German contender Slawa Spomer (20-1, 11 KO’s) in a step-up fight in a 10-round bout. Winning virtually every round, Zayas closed the deal with a technical knockout (TKO) finish in the 9th to retain his NABF (North American Boxing Federation) and WBO NABO (North American Boxing Organization) titles.

• At middleweight (160 lbs), American contender Vito Mielnicki Jr. (20-1-1, 12 KO’s) sought to boost his own position in the rankings but faced staunch opposition in Irish opponent Connor Coyle (21-0-1, 9 KO’s) who pushed the American to the brink iin their 10-round fight. Their very evenly-matched fight ended in a majority decision (MD) draw that saw neither fighter win the vacant titles [WBC USA, WBO International & IBF USBA] that had been made available.

• American heavyweight (200+ lbs) prospect/fringe contender Jared Anderson (18-1, 15 KO’s) won his 10-round bout against Greek unranked fighter Marios Kollias (12-4-1, 10 KO’s) but despite winning most of the rounds to claim a unanimous decision (UD) victory, it was a struggle for him as his defense showed too many leaks that allowed Kollias to land some debilitating punches. Anderson’s own efficiency seemed to have decreased since suffering his first loss last year against Congolese heavyweight Martin Bakole (21-1, 16 KO’s), and the American fighter could not summon the same intensity as he had in prior fights.

• American prospect Abdullah Mason (17-0, 15 KO’s) did well in his own 135-pound fight against Mexican opponent Manuel Jaimes (16-3-1, 11 KO’s), showing improvement from his last fight―which saw him knocked down twice―to stop Jaimes in the 4th round of their 8-round bout.

• Nico Ali Walsh (10-2, 5 KO’s), the grandson of the legendary Muhammad Ali, suffered his second loss in a 6-round non-title bout versus fellow American Juan Carlos Guerra Jr. (6-1-1, 2 KO’s). The two fighters competed at 160 lbs.